I’m a HUGE fan of musicals. Seriously, name any song from Annie, Sound of Music, Grease, Mama Mia or whatever, and I can sing and dance it with perfect choreography. Now, don’t go asking this introvert to perform in public, but trust me….at home in my bedroom in front of the mirror, I got moves.

For someone who adores musicals, you would have thought I’d be all over Glee, right? But for some reason I’d never gotten the chance to catch an episode. Today that all changed, however. A quick break from work spent browsing online turned into 45 minutes of my life sucked away by the time waster that is Youtube. How could I tear myself away though, as I’d come across video after video of dance-in-my-chair musical goodness courtesy of Glee?

And then I stumbled across Gwyneth’s appearances on Glee and I was sold. As I have said before, I love Ms. G, and her Glee performances have provided reason #957 why Gwyneth Paltrow and I should be friends.

Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1_B9FCZJMA&tracker=False

SO, it’s a given that I’m tuning in tonight for my first Glee episode. And while I’m busy memorizing Gwyneth’s dance moves {she’s back for tonights episode!}, I’ll also be filling out my application for membership to the Gleeks club!

Any other closet musical fans out there?

Now, I don’t know what thoughts go through other mothers’ minds when they find out they are going to have a little girl. I can clearly remember the moment I found out though….

Jeff and I had our scheduled ultrasound at 21 weeks to check on growth and development. Cold goopy gel, fuzzy gray scale image…the usual stuff. We waited patiently as the ultrasound tech squinted at the screen, tilting her head. After what seemed like an eternity she turned around, grinned, and said “there are absolutely NO boy parts…you’re having a girl!”.

I squealed, and then immediately the following thoughts hit me {yes, in this exact order}-

1. “Oh my goodness! Dresses! I get to buy dresses! Pink dresses!!!! Where’s the nearest baby Gap to the Hospital?”

2. “OHMYGOODNESS, this means I get to decorate a pink room….. Pink! Ooooh it’s gonna be pretty….Pink pink pink…”

3. “Braids! Pigtails! Barrette’s. I GET TO DO HER HAIR!!!!!”

Fast forward several months and my beautiful Carys is placed in my arms. Exactly as I’d pictured her…..Big brown eyes, long eyelashes, pink cheeks and full lips. WAIT JUST A MINUTE, hold the phone…. Where’s the hair???

Yup my girl arrived a baldy. Nothing on top for a barrette or elastic to cling to. A total shocker after the mane her brother was born with. It’ll grown in soon, everyone told me, and I repeated this to myself for reassurance.

And grow it did….. at least the bottom anyhow. Yes, my lovely daughter grew a fairly decent mullet, the bottom section flourishing while the top stayed short. Not the best look. So, a little trim was had, and Mama continued to wait…..

and wait. And then wait some more.

Then, miracle of miracles, one day I pulled out some elastics “just to see”…..and by golly, we made some pigtails!

A photoshoot was had {when Mama waits that long for something she wants pictures to gush over}.  The dream was realized.

I love my girl – bald, mullet-headed, or otherwise. But those little piggies are pretty cute if I do say so myself

Mr. Berkus

Ah, Twitter and blogs aplenty have been talking up a storm about Nate and his new show  lately. I was one of those excited design bloggers who received an invite last week to attend a taping in NYC. After debating, humming, hawwing, and desperately searching for reasonably priced flights, I reluctantly decided not to go. I couldn’t justify the time away from work at such a busy time, the hassle of organizing kids & family to go, or the almost $1000 plane ticket for a direct flight from Vancouver to NYC. I admit it, I was a bit sad- sad to miss out on such a fun adventure and even more sad to miss out on meeting some of my favorite design bloggers {I would have been rather star-struck seeing them all!}.

It seems however the Nate Berkus design blogger audience concept did not turn out as many design blogger attendees anticipated, but regardless it was a fabulous time to connect with so many other bloggers {sigh}. For a rundown from some of the bloggers who attended, check out the list below. It’s just a very teeny list mind you, with over 100 design bloggers who attended it makes for a whole lotta Nate Day 9/21 blog posts! 

• Design Blahg – “[#NATEGATE] Wherin Nate Berkus Screws Up Royally“
• Home to Three Duncan Boys – “NateDay9/21: My Story”
• Centsational Girl - “NY Inspiration”
• BluLabel Bungalow – “The Nate Show 9/21″ and “Great to Finally Meet You!”

Perfect Perch

Since the October issue of Style at Home {will be posting about the story next week} hit newsstands, I’ve been getting a CRAZY number of emails about the dining chairs that we used on the project. If I haven’t replied to your email yet, please forgive me, and thank you for your patience! It’s been a very busy month for me and I’m doing my best to stay on top of inquiries etc.

For all you who have wondered about purchasing some of these chairs, I have good news and bad. The BAD – they are vintage, and I don’t have any left! {more about these special chairs next week….}. The GOOD – I have a supplier who carries a very very similar style {new of course}. I’m just working out the pricing and details on them and will be notifying everyone about purchasing as soon as possible! Thanks for your patience!

Big Ben

My Ben started his second year of preschool this September. Funny how last year I was totally fine taking him to his first day of school, and this year I was a big old mess. Perhaps it was how tall he looked walking into his classroom {geez do kids ever grow during the summer!}, or his new big kid backpack, or knowing that next year he’d be in kindergarten all day/every day, but I was a teary eyed mess. Luckily I’ve adjusted the past few weeks and the tears have generally stopped, and now I only give him 2 or 3 bear hugs, several big smoochy kisses, and multiple “I love you’s”  before he heads into his classroom. Get ‘em while I can, right?

Birthday Girl

I’ve hit 2-8! 27 was a great year for me in so many ways, and I can’t wait to see what this next year has in store. The day itself is shaping up to be a good one. Ben has been telling me for weeks he’s throwing me a Knight birthday party with balloons and a chocolate marshmallow cake. Sounds good to me I told him! My very sweet cousin Jenny is stopping by for breakfast this morning and a visit. She’s a phenomenal baker and is bringing homemade cinnamon buns and fruit salad for breakfast {I’ll supply the caffeine }. It’ll be business as usual for the rest of the day- preschool {Ben}, naptime {Carys}, and a little bit of work {Mommy during Carys’ naptime}. Come evening another cousin {I have a lot of cousins, 17 to be exact!} is coming to look after the kiddies so Jeff and I can go out for my birthday. What’re we doing to celebrate you ask? Well, that brings me to number 5 on this Friday’s mish-mash list, so read on…..

Crush

Harry Connick Jr….swoon. I gotta be honest, I love him. To set the record straight, I was never the boy-crazy, crushing on movie stars kind of girl in high school. Much to the surprise of my friends in school I NEVER had a Backstreet Boys poster on my wall {or perhaps my design sense was already too well established to allow myself to slap up a glossy BSB poster …?} nor did I gush about how cute Leonardo DiCaprio was in Titanic.

But I’ve ALWAYS carried a flame for Harry.

I remember once he was in Vancouver for a visit and my cousin Jenny {the bearer of cinnamon buns, see above} saw him {and talked to him, ohmygoodness!} at Granville island. Seriously, when she told me, a little bit of my love for her died…..I mean, we’re COUSINS, the least she could do was call and let me know so I’d have time to drive there and see him too! {FYI her fresh cinnamon buns have since healed the wound}.

I know, I know, I can totally hear what you’re saying “What about Michael?”. Ladies I know that Michael Buble is totally the crooner king du jour, and he’s cute and all, but for me Harry has the whole package. A Quadruple threat, I’d say – singing, playing the piano, acting, and also he’s hilarious!

Luckily for my marriage this little Harry love isn’t a secret, Jeff’s known about it for awhile. Which is why a whole month ago he secretly bought us tickets to see Harry in concert tonight!!!! Now, since the concert is on my real birthday, I think its pretty much a given I’ll get sung Happy Birthday by Harry, right? Yup, that’s what I thought.  Can’t wait!

Have a wonderful weekend!

I mourned the closure of the store, without a doubt. Other small business owners know that their businesses are like children, and {not to be cheesy} the culmination of a dream, seriously. I had spent four years earning my Bachelors of Commerce degree {specializing in Entrepreneurial Management}, while working full time and having my first child. TIRING does not begin to describe it, but it was worth all the time and effort to see my dream realized.

So when the store closed I was left with this horrible “Now what?” feeling. I had no idea what lay ahead for me, what I’d do career wise, and how I would balance being mom to 2 while still working {which I love}.

When Carys was a few months old I took on a design project for our beautiful and sweet friends Mark and Sam. I’m not kidding when I say that they are the kindest people I know. They asked me to help them decorate their new condo and I jumped at the chance.

The project was completed last August/September, and this past spring my favorite photographer Janis took photos of it for my portfolio, which you can read about HERE. I’ll be sharing the BEFORE pictures of the condo later this week, but trust me, the transformation is amazing! {Pop over to the Portfolio page to see more of the After shots}

Fast forward a few months and somehow this project has made its way into an issue of House & Home magazine- yowza!  

That’s Us- “Timeless Chic in Vancouver”!

Now,  I’m not so cool that I don’t think it’s pretty dang neat to be included in the issue. And although this has been a fairly wordy, rambling post, really all my babble boils down to just one thought ~ blessed. Appreciative of this publicity but more than that thankful to have found my way back to doing something that I love. God is good.

I have a little giveaway I’m running this week {ends Sunday} for you friends….I have copies of House & Home’s Condos, Lofts, & Apartments to send to 6 of you . Just leave me a comment and introduce yourself. No complex rules- don’t worry about subscribing by email, or following with Google, or liking me on Facebook, or following me on Twitter. Just stop by and say hi 

It was such an inspiring interview that my friend Victoria from DesignTies and Edin Interiors  also shared it with her FB group members. {SPOILER ALERT} We both loved the part where Sarah talked about starting out in the design business, the point where she  considered giving up, and getting her big break landing a spot in House and Home magazine.  And it got us to thinking….I wonder what that old House &  Home issue looked like with Sarah’s place on the cover?

Some Design Detective work ensued…. my Google skills failed me however as I came up empty handed scouring the web. So I said, “forget this detective stuff”, and emailed someone I know at House & Home. Right to the source! Sweet Beth hunted it down, scanned it {no digital versions from back then} and sent it over. Thanks Beth!  So if you were curious like Victoria and I were, here’s a peek at Ms. Richardson’s first big break:

The New Pretty

Have a great day!

PS thanks for everyone’s kind thoughts for Carys….still a lingering fever but other than that she is doing well. Should be back to herself tomorrow I think!

I remember back in grade 11 English one of my favourite teachers Mrs. Baerg gave us an assignment….create a scrapbook of our life. All the details of what our future life would turn out like. University, our spouse, children, home, hobbies, and whatever else we wanted to include. In my book I married a guy named Dave Kennedy {geez that last name would have saved a whole lotta spelling that Amadatsu now requires!} and we had 5, count ‘em FIVE children {so. not. gonna. happen.}. For some reason back then I thought that giving each of my kids two middle names was pretty cool {no offense to anyone who has two middle names or who has given their kids 2} and I insisted on ensuring that each and every kid met the name quota. I still remember that I named my oldest daughter Gwyneth. Sigh. How I loved that name. Her middle names were Elizabeth and Eleanor {after my grandma}, and it wasn’t until my book was handed in for marking that it dawned on me that I had given my poor daughter the initials G.E.E.K.  Oops! Sorry dear!

Anyhow, I digress…

On the weekend I picked up the  latest copy of Vogue, the one with the other Gwyneth on the cover. Yes, I know, the issue has been out a while already, but Mommy/Business owners are sometimes Tardy for the Party {ugh I couldn’t resist the shameless Real Housewives reference….I have an obsession}. After reading the article, and despite the thoughts of a few {slightly negative} commentaries online, I have to say this:

I love Gwyneth

Seriously, isn’t she the perfect combination of Style/Class/Cool/Funny/Waspy-ness that you can’t help but love? Ms. Paltrow has a cook book hitting bookstores in 2011 and the fact that she loves to cook and eat makes her my kinda girl all the more.

While we’re on the subject of Gwyneth, we can’t leave out the phenomenon that is GOOP.  If you aren’t a Goop subscriber, get on it, because the weekly newsletters that inspire readers to Make, Go, Get, Do, Be, or See are fabulous! Even my husband has been known to read {and enjoy} a little Goop.

Making the 30′s And Beyond Look Dang Good

And finally, before I sign off, Gwyneth if you are reading this would you please consider sending me every outfit you wore for the Vogue shoot? Cause I’m in love with ‘em all. Particularly the blue dress on the cover. ESPECIALLY the blue dress on the cover, I mean, it’s GORGEOUS and my favorite shade of blue. We all know celebrities can’t wear clothes more than once or they’ll get slammed by the tabloids, so you’ll think about it, right???

Hello friends! Today’s post is a bit of a mish mash, so bear with me as I do a little housekeeping {much prefer this kind to the real thing !}

The Goods

I received some lovely comments over on Brooklyn Limestone after my guest post {thank you!}, and many were wondering some of the sources for items I used in Ben’s room. Here’s a quick rundown:

• striped sheets – Alfred Sung for Zellers
• linen duvet cover – sewed by moi, fabric from Designer Fabrics in Toronto {they are great, will mail samples too!}
• bedskirt – basic white bedskirt from Zellers, with linen edging added by me
• white with red border euro sham – Pottery Barn
• sock monkey – either Urban Barn or Walmart….I’ve seen them at both.
• red cotton cableknit blanket and pillow – Alfred Sung for Zellers
• bedside table – vintage from The Sellution {a Vancouver consignment furniture store}, refinished by me
• lamp – Homesense
• alarm clock – Liberty
• picture frames – Walmart, Homesense, and Ikea
• “vintage” travel posters for framing – Cavallini & Co. For an online seller of these products, I found THIS ONE you can check out.
• baskets – Superstore
• car roadmap rug – Ikea
• headboard – Target {note that once I received the headboard the colour was all wrong, sort of that crayon “skin” colour…I removed the nailhead trim, wrapped & stapled the linen herringbone fabric on, then re-attached the nailheads}
• nautrical flags – Land of Nod
• faux bamboo chair – vintage
• antique highboy dresser – vintage, Kerrisdale Design
• round mirror – Superstore, was white but I painted it black
• red lacquer box – Homesense
• wooden dog – Kerrisdale Design
• closet shelving – Ikea
• vintage trophy – Ebay

Work It

I’ve been taking WAY too long trying to find a desk for the office. After a few misses on Ebay looking for the perfect antique one, I’ve decided I’ll buy new and have found two {from one of my suppliers} that I’m loving. Both are the perfect size for my space, the challenge is which style to go with! Help me decide!

And to refresh your memory, they’ll be paired with this chair.

Ikea Affair

Since I mentioned I did a minor Ikea-hack and dressed up Carys new Gulliver highchair with a coat of paint, I’ve had requests to see the “after” pictures. Here is the lady modeling her new throne:

Merci Beaucoup

I wanted to take a moment to say a big THANK YOU you to Emily A. Clark and Victoria at Design Ties for featuring my work on your sites. They are two of the most sweet & kind people I’ve met through blogging and I admire them greatly. I can’t tell you how surprised/thrilled/excited I was to be featured and I can’t thank them enough!

Freckle Face

And now for something completely random….came across these pictures the other day on a favorite Tumblr site, Mary Ruffle. Aren’t these gorgeous black and white photos? Though truth be told, I generally don’t think about the fact that I have freckles {and lot’s of them} these photos make me glad I do. Yup, totally random Friday thoughts….

Have a wonderful, sunny weekend!

Heather, her husband, adorable daughter Lily, and mother live on a gorgeous organic blueberry farm here in South Surrey. With the farm recently open for business for the season, I figured we’d pop over to enjoy the setting, visit, and bring home some goodies!

{The farmhouse} 

The ladies visited & chatted as ladies will do…

..while Ben played farmer and hunted for ripe blueberries {the crop wasn’t quite ready for picking yet}

Even though not quite ripe, aren’t these berries beautiful?

The “Shabby Shack”, site of many a photoshoot and now home to the Missing Goat store – jams, chutneys, berries, organic coffee, pies…yum yum! 

Love how Heather’s painted the floors tiffany blue! Carys was smitten with Lily’s dog Finn.

Heather graciously let my little berry-monsters hunt for some ripe berries to enjoy

We left with jars of blueberry lavendar jam, organic coffee, and plans to place an order for lot’s of blueberries! The second we arrived back home, the jam was opened, slathered on toast and enjoyed! It’s delicious…the lavendar gives it this indescribable, almost exotic flavour. I’m thinking a batch of homemade scones are in order Saturday morning to accompany this yummy jam!

If you are in the Lower Mainland, do make a trip to Missing Goat- it’s a magical spot and everything is fresh and delicious. You can visit Missing Goat online for more info, and do check out Heather’s blog A Day In The Country….full of gorgeous pictures and lovely tidbits from her life on the farm.

As I’ve been working away, I’ve been dreaming of lounging on a beach like this one:

I first came across this photographer {Christian Chaize} through Jenny at  Little Green Notebook….isn’t his work stunning? I adore the colours, the happy vintage-y mood, and would love to spend an afternoon on that beach!

And although I realize this gorgeous stretch of sand is in Portugal, this song {to me} is the perfect soundtrack to a lazy afternoon of beach lounging:

Have a wonderful day,

PS honey are you reading this? I think a print of that beach scene would be gorgeous in the family room….

“I Dare You” a reading by Kelly Corrigan

I order you to pick/purchase/pilfer yourself some flowers! I bought myself a bunch of white freesias the other day and their lovely scent and pretty petals made me feel so good! Nothing makes you feel special like some fresh flowers. Treat yourself!

Happy Friday!

PS pink and yellow roses are hands down favorites, I usually have a hard time choosing between them…this pretty posy of yellow ones though are winning the competition today, aren’t they gorgeous?

“I ride hard through the streets and the cul-de-sac, proud parent of a honour roll student, Jack”

“I kiss the boo-boos, clean doggy doo-doo, cut the crusts off the PB&J”

Love it. Happy Hump Day everyone,

Blackberries picked fresh on Grandma’s farm are best, and homemade blackberry jam on toast is good too, but we won’t complain about a pint from the local market! Oh goodness, we’re not picky!

Everyone has their own blackberry style – Throw ‘em down the hatch or tentatively taste {newbies usually}.
 

There are silent, serious eaters


And giggly, goofy eaters
 

Uh oh, a blackberry spill! Lesson learned- don’t let the baby hold the berries.


But a little tumble never hurt a berry, and blackberries quickly vanish, leaving two full little bellies {with just a smidge of evidence remaining}.

How about a pretty picture to start the weekend off?

I love a spattering of yellow with black and white, don’t you? {image found via Emily A. Clark blog} Oh, and look, it’s a tv above a fireplace! See…. more evidence we do not need be afraid…technology and style can be happily married!

Enjoy your weekend,

Like me and hate the sight of ugly Technicolor toothbrushes stuck in a holder on your bathroom counter? Imagine how excited I was to see this minimalist beauty {Acca Kappa Toothbrush, $8}

I love the elegant peacock feather design on this plate {though not fond of the ones showing the bird head!} Perfect for mixing up with my classic white dinnerware!  {Peacock Dessert Plate, $16}

Suzie Homemaker I am not, but I’m confident if I started wearing this darling apron around the house, my housekeeping skills would improve tenfold. {The Lady’s Apron, $44}

A far cry from your usual measuring spoons, aren’t these ones gorgeous? {Shell Spoons, $14 and Dining Room Measuring Spoons, $28}

And don’t these pretty striped straws beg, no, DEMAND “Make Ice Cream Floats”!?? {Stripey Straws, $12}

Prettiest bottle of dish soap I ever saw…beats the pants off a bottle of Palmolive sitting beside your sink! {Pure and Good dish Soap, $16}

Jeff and I have been bitten by the gardening bug…making this book our perfect companion. {Growing Stuff, $24.95}

Love the vintage vibe, and who couldn’t stand to learn a thing or two from Coco herself? {The Gospel According to Coco Chanel, $24.95}

Love this compilation of transit maps from all over the world. I bet some great {cheap!} frameable art options. {Transit Maps of the World, $31}

Basic lessons for kids with retro flair! Again, bet there are some great images that are perfect for framing for a kids room! {How to Behave and Why, $21 and Manners can be Fun, $21}

Ben would get a kick out of these twig coloured pencils. {Branch and Twig Coloured Pencils, $10}

I’d buy this Voluspa candle for the pretty jar alone! {Voluspa Panjore Lychee, $22}

And finally, monograms are always fab, so why not an oversized zinc letter proclaiming the first letter of your surname? {25″ Oversized Zinc Letter, $118}

Have a wonderful day,

HE HAS RISEN

Happy Easter!

I’m sure you all have done this before in the past, so no need to bore you with the nitty gritty. I’ve seen all sorts of methods for making these pretty eggs, from colouring on them with crayons before dying, to wax, to oil in the dye bath to give the eggs a marbleized look. I wracked my brain for an idea of how we could spice our eggs up a bit, and the only thing I could find around the house was painters tape. So, we went with it….

While Ben applied random bits of tape to his eggs, Mommy started making stripes to decorate hers. Then, got inspired remembering this great chevron fabric I saw the other day {Schumacher “High Voltage” }:

But then again, was I just  subconsciously still lusting after that dress?

Regardless, I got into the chevron groove, painstakingly applying strips of painters tape to make a pattern before dunking my egg in its dye bath.

Now, I won’t lie. My mind started to whirl with all the potential fabric-inspired patterns I could create on eggs, if only I didn’t have work to do, children to care for, a husband and a house to look after, or the need to sleep. Sigh, an Imperial Trellis egg may have to be created by someone with more time, dedication, or a worse case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder than I.

Haha! So while I’m not OCD enough to make a real Trellis Egg, apparently I have just enough obsession to attempt to creat one in Photoshop with my meagre skills.

INSTEAD, I abandoned my trellis egg dream and stuck with a few simple designs, and here are the simple, fun-coloured eggs that resulted:

Wishing you a very Happy Easter!

1. Waking up to sunshine and Ben crawling into our bed for a “tuddle” (cuddle). Love that boy.

2. Freshly ground Starbucks Breakfast blend in a soup bowl sized cup, with just the right amount of light cream and Splenda. Mmmm

3. Hitting Main street in Vancouver (great for vintage/antique shopping) to go to the Sellution, a favorite thrift store – Ben and Carys in tow.

4. Finding a fantastic dresser for Carys – similar in feel to the one on my inspiration board,  in budget and requiring no work! I had been using a temporary cabinet in her room, but she needed something with drawers STAT cause the clothing situation kept getting a little out of control in a piece that just had shelves. Sorry no picture yet…it’s still in the garage till we get a chance to move it up to Carys’ room.

5. Having some random 24 year old guy who was shopping at the Sellution, stop, look at my kids and comment “Geez, you have really good looking kids”. I won’t lie, I was beaming. For those of you reading this who don’t have kids, let me let you in on a little secret… all parents think their children are ridiculously good looking. To the extent that if other people notice this fact, we can’t help but subconsciously think to ourselves “Umm yeah, duh!”. Needless to stay I ate up the compliment from this {obviously very observant tehe} guy.

6. Finding a great source for CHEAP designer fabric online. And I’m happy to share the goodness: BuyFabrics.com

7. The DQ Mint Oreo Blizzard I am presently eating, as well as the episode of Lost Season 1 I am heading off to watch with Jeff. Yes, I know, we are a little behind {like 5 seasons behind….please no spoilers!!!} but we are making steady progress. A quiet house,cozy pj’s, snuggled in a warm bed and driving ourselves nuts wondering WHAT IS UP with that crazy island they are stuck on….A fantastic way to end the day.

Hope you all had a great Friday too….what were the highlights of your day?

Here are some pictures of the forsythia the kids and I cut on our walk last week. The little yellow flowers are so bright and happy, and it was fun to see each day new little green leaves sprout on the tips of the branches.

And since it’s looking a little gray outside in my part of the world today, I thought a little extra dose of pretty is in order! Perhaps some inspiration for you to find some beautiful flowering branches for your home!

Send me some pictures of your lovely flowering branches!

Image sources- mouseover each image

I think we are going to make a nice family dinner tonight to celebrate, and I know Ben is excited about giving Mommy, Daddy, and Carys Valentine’s after the fun he had with his preschool friends exchanging them this week. Want to see what I got from my sweet boy on Thursday? We were at the grocery store picking up some things and he decided he wanted to get me some tulips (though from what money I don’t know…he didn’t bring his piggy bank!). “Pink ones Mama!” he insisted. So home we came with beautiful pink tulips. Jeff thought I’d made this up as an excuse to get flowers for myself Then my “niece” Eliana (my friends daughter) brought me some red ones, so now I have the perfect Valentine’s arrangement!

Now, I know all you blog friends appreciate a great deal, and ESPECIALLY on pretty things, right? Well, I spied this mirror last night at Home Depot (yup, Home Depot on a Saturday night…I lead a crazy exciting life ) that is a STEAL at $64.99! It’s 24″ x 36″ and could go anywhere. And we all know how much modern venetian mirrors can go for in home decor stores, they are pricy. Anyhow, get yourselves on over to your local Home Depot and snap one up…the way I see it, it is the perfect Valentine’s gift (for yourself ), a great alternative to an overpriced bouquet that’s not gonna last more than a week!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Everyone has different ways that they feel inspired to help. Over the past weeks there have been everything from telethons to Etsy sites with sales going to victims, to many bloggers writing away, striving  to raise awareness of this tragedy. Some very creative projects have come about too. On Wednesday one in particular, “Flash Mob for Haiti” came to my attention. Here’s what they say about their endeavor:

The Story: On January 12th, 2010 at 1:53 pst a major earthquake measuring 7.0 hit the nation of Haiti. The devastation is immense and death toll continues to rise and the world is rallying to help and we feel called to do something as well, so at 1:53 pst on January 23rd we danced. We had planned our flash mob for some time, but recognized an opportunity to do something more with the work we had done and Flash Mob For Haiti was born.

Red Flags: Each dancer carried with them a Red Flag to represent the Haitian Flag, in a show of support and solidarity with the people of Haiti. At the end of dance, each person threw their flags in the air.

Our Vision: To challenge companies to come forward and pledge to give based on the view count of the video on Youtube. Whether $.01 or $1.00 per view, we ask that you pledge to give to any relief organization and let us know once you do so we can post it. If you want to challenge another company in a similar field or industry, we will gladly post your challenge as well.

Thank You ,

Geoff Stewart

Journey Student Ministries – www.journeysm.com

Flash Mob for Haiti – www.flashmobforhaiti.wordpress.com/

And here it is…..enjoy the fun of their performance (they aren’t professional dancers, just college kids with big hearts!), but please don’t forget to donate!! The Canadian government is still matching funds (my Bachelor of Commerce degree isn’t required to know that doubling your money is a good thing!) so visit Unicef Canada OR Red Cross (for Canadians) or Unicef USA.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqGl2DpceEs&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1&border=1]

If Dorothy Gale were a Vancouverite, would her ruby slippers look like this?

Earlier in the week it had appeared that Christmas had definitely arrived (according to Ben anyhow, to whom snow=Christmas). After I spent Tuesday afternoon frantically searching for new snow boots for Ben so he could enjoy the winter wonderland outside (helping Daddy shovel, making snowmen, and generally jumping around in the white stuff), we had a delivery of  warmer temps and what I’ve heard affectionately called “liquid sunshine” by optimistic {delusional?} Vancouver residents. The result? A mushy, slushy wet mess. Yuck!

This scene is what prompted me to leave a message for my husband saying “if you perhaps have time after work, would you mind picking me up some rainboots???”

And when he called awhile later asking which colour I wanted (black or red), I went with my inner Dorothy and said “RED” emphatically. ‘Cause while I love black, these boots are the most perfect ruby red, and what better way to face a rainy day than with this cheery color keeping me dry?

After time spent running errands today in my new “ruby slippers” I’m back at home, getting cosy and hunkering down with some great reads (and a yummy vanilla latte!)….will post my thoughts soon on the new design trends for 2010!

Check out Accuradio for continuous FREE Christmas music in a bevy of genre’s to suit anyone’s taste! Right now I’m enjoying jazzy Christmas tunes (think Harry Connick and Charlie Brown Christmas), and I love the old classic carols too. BUT, seriously, there are some great Christmas pop songs too…I confess I can’t help but want to dance when every single time I hear Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” and I bet you can’t either! Loved that scene in “Love Actually” where the little girl sings it!

Happy Holidays everyone and enjoy! [And thank you Nate for the tip!]

PS. Couldn’t resist including this….go ahead and dance, I know I’m going to!